


The T That Binds

by Catory



Category: Kamen Rider W (Double)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Gen, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-02-28 04:27:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18749005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catory/pseuds/Catory
Summary: While on the prowl for a lost cat, Hidari Shoutaro, best private detective in Fuuto, stumbles upon a murder! Though a young woman confessed to the crime right away, something's bugging Shoutaro about the whole thing. Could there be more to this case? It's up to the Narumi Detective Agency to find out!(No powers au, an attempt at being written in the style of one of those paperback mystery novels that has like 20+ books in it)





	1. The Woman Who Confessed

**Author's Note:**

> An idea ive been tossing around for a while: What if Kamen Rider W but written like a mainstream detective novel or jdrama?  
> In my mind this is like… the seventh or eight novel in one of those series that goes on for like. 20+ books. So stuff has already happened and there's mildly handwavey exposition for what exactly happened in the last few books just in case you're reading out of order, but the mystery itself hopefully stands alone. I don’t have plans to write any more of these unless there's interest in it, tho, lol  
> Addendum: I lifted the basic mystery of this story off a jdrama, though I changed a lot. I wonder if anyone will be able to recognize where it's from?

_The night that the little lady had gone missing was dark as just-brewed coffee, and as cold as a winter's breath. She'd presided like a queen over her house, dead center in Fuuto's upscale neighborhood surrounded by loyal subjects. Surrounded by luxury. She wasn't the kind of gal who would entertain thoughts of leaving, but the intact doors— especially that side gate, gaping like an open mouth— spoke more eloquently than words. Why? Why would she, who had everything to live for, run away, gone like a sigh on the breeze?_

_Now I, Hidari Shoutaro, hard-boiled detective and protector of this windy city, have been tasked with—_

WHAP.

"Ow! What the hell was that for, Akiko?"

Narumi Akiko, my landlord and boss, points her slipper at me threateningly. "Stop daydreaming on the job, Shoutaro! We need to take more cases to pay for utilities this month, and Yuki-chan's owners are rich as hell so you better find her safe and sound, 'kay?"

I roll my eyes. "I know, I know. Jeez, I've been working in this business for much longer than you, you know, I like to think I'm at least pretty good at it—"

"If you're so good then hurry it up," she interrupts, because she's terrible and feels no fear and also owns the deed to the office. "It's been two whole days and we haven't seen her at all. Hey, are you sure that she just ran away?"

"Of course I am!" More importantly, Philip's sure, and I trusts my partner's judgement. "I'll have you know I've returned a hundred— no, three hundred at least!— pets back to their owners without a hair out of place. I spent a week tracking down a turtle on the riverside once!"

"Mhm." Akiko looks at me, unimpressed. "Is that what you're gonna tell the client too? We did promise to update them, you know."

"Well— I mean, that's—" I sputter. Ah, shoot. I'd forgotten all about that. "I'll come up with something."

"…Sure. C'mon, we should probably head to their house before the sun sets." Akiko pats my arm before jogging off in the direction I'd parked my shitty old sedan.

Hey, wait a minute. "Why are you even running ahead of me? I have the keys to the car!"

* * *

The house of our client looms in front of me like a beast of the night, and I'm not at all nervous. My nerves are all made of steel and I have a _very_ good explanation for the lack of progress, which I will deliver in a extremely smooth manner to the terrifyingly dignified patriarch.

I just, uh, need another minute or five to compose myself, that's all.

"Okay, listen. Let's go over this one more time." I lean against the fence.

Akiko checks her phone and drags her hands down her face. "Shoutaro we've been here for twenty minutes, oh my god."

I clear my throat and continue regardless. "Good evening, Yoshizawa-san, we're here for the regular report you asked for, I know we, uh, estimated that it would take a day to find your beloved Yuki-chan but really she's proving to be—"

"Hey." Akiko's head is tilted to the side. "Hey, Shoutaro, do you hear that?"

Oh god why are my palms so sweaty— what?

"Police sirens? But why in this neighborhood? Almost no crime happens here."

"…Hey. Hey, Shoutaro. The sound's getting closer, isn't it? It's not just me right?" Akiko grabs my arm. "Hey, Shoutaro, that's a lot of patrol cars down the road, isn't it?"

"They're probably not headed towards us," I say, weakly. "Even if they are, what are the odds they're going to stop at this house?"

"They're slowing down."

"Are not!"

"They're _definitely_ slowing down."

"Okay, maybe they are."

The car in the front pulls over, right behind where I'd parked. The others all keep going to the house next door.

The window of the stopped car slowly rolls down. I gulp.

"Oh no, it's you two. What the hell are you doing here?" Terui Ryu sticks his face out of the window and I breathe a sigh of relief. I know Terui, and if he's here then I'm probably not in any trouble. He might even let me in on the actual situation to boot. If he feels like it. We've got something of a long relationship, Terui and I.

…Okay, fine, it's only been like four months max since Terui transferred over to Fuuto PD, but they've been an eventful four months! Full of murder! Car chases! Dramatic fistfights! Trust me, you don't want to know how much of a leather-clad vigilante little prick he was in the beginning! Either way, I trust Terui, and he knows that he's trusted in return. Right now, though—

"I asked you a question." Terui says, tersely.

"We have every right to be here!" I hold up a slightly crumpled poster. "We're looking for Yuki-chan. Got the job two days ago from Yoshizawa Kyusaku."

Terui blinks. "A pet cat? I suppose that’s about what I expected from the likes of you. Anyways, just go home already. We can't have you poking around the area and contaminating the scene."

I bristle. "What?"

"There's a dead man next door."

"Dead???" Akiko and I yell. Terui gets out of the car and slaps a hand over each of our mouths. "Stop yelling! Do you want to tell the whole neighborhood why we’re here?"

I bat his hand away. "What do you _mean_ he's dead??"

"I literally just got here, I don’t know either. One of his relatives called it in. You," he points accusingly at me. "Don't try to get involved. I know you, you're going to investigate and get into some deep shit and end up getting chased by some maniac with a gun, so I'm just going to cut that off at the pass. No."

Akiko puts her hands on her hips. "If you know it's going to happen then you might as well just let us in so you can keep an eye on us, right?"

I nod in agreement. "Yeah! We're good detectives, you know." And anyways, if I have some gossip tomorrow about what exactly happened next door then maybe my client will be too distracted to lecture me for not finding his beloved cat! Or something.

It's a three-way staredown, and maybe in the end the only reason Akiko and I win it is because we've got more eyes on our side. Terui looks away.

"God, fine. I don't have time for this. Just do what you want, then."  He says as he begins walking towards the house, without making any move to block our path. It's as good as giving in, from someone as emotionally constipated as him. Akiko and I share a triumphant smile as we follow him into the Osugi estate.

* * *

There's police all over the house, but all the occupants are gathered in the living room. My first thought is that… there's a lot of them. Five family members all in total, and the same number in staff. It's easy enough to tell them apart, though. The household staff are all dressed much more plainly than the rich folk, and they're all staring determinedly at their feet, while Osugi-san's family have eyes that dart every which way.

There's a tense and heavy air in here. I don't like it.

"Sorry about the intrusion," Terui says kindly. Akiko and I whip our heads around to stare at him in shock, but he valiantly ignores us. "We at the Fuuto Police Department will definitely do our best to find the culprit behind this murder, so we ask that you cooperate to the best of your ability. First,  I'd like to know some things about the circumstances of this household, so let's start with your names and relation to victim."

"Osugi Mamoru. I'm his eldest son."

"Osugi Sonoko. I'm Mamoru's wife."

"Osugi Ryuusuke. Uh, second oldest son, I guess."

"Matsuoka Naomi, though I'm divorced now. I'm the youngest daughter."

"Osugi Tetsuji. I'm the youngest."

They give their introductions, rapid-fire. I blink and mutter to Akiko out of the side of my mouth. "… Hey, Akiko. You're writing this down, right?"

She hisses back, "What?? I thought you were doing that?"

Ah, shit. I turn to argue with her more but just as I do so, one of the household staff speaks up. "…Osugi Arisa."

Osugi? Wait, what? Terui and Akiko and I all turn to look at her. No matter how we look at it, she doesn't look like part of the family. Actually, now that I take a closer look, aren’t her clothes covered in lightly colored stains?

"I did it." Arisa-san says. "I killed him. I killed my father in law."

What? Wait, _what?_

The room dissolves into muted chaos. The household staff obviously hadn't heard about this at all, and start whispering to each other and backing away. Some of the younger policemen are doing the same— terrible etiquette, really. Terui's gonna yell at them when they get back to the station, I bet. Speaking of Terui—

"Everybody shut up!" He yells. He turns to Arisa-san. "Ma'am— I'm sure that you're in shock right now, but—"

"I killed him," she repeats, louder. "It's because he only ever made me take care of him but I could never do it like he wanted. Always with the yelling… tonight he just took one bite of the food and wine I'd so carefully prepared at me and dumped it on the floor and I— I just I couldn't take it anymore. I strangled him with that stupid tie of his."

Her fists are clenched into her apron, still covered in food stains. Her eyes, though scared, are clear and dry.

* * *

"Interesting," Philip says, a spark of curiosity in his voice. "She confessed just like that?"

As detectives, Akiko and I didn't really have anything to do after the murderer straight up just confessed. We'd been shoved aside pretty quick, and we just ended up just going home to the Narumi Detective Agency.

Philip, my partner, hadn't accompanied us out this morning on our pet hunt. Pretty typical, honestly. He usually only goes out if he's really interested in something, but when that happens there's not much that can stand in his way. Bet he kinda regrets not coming with now, huh. Hell, _I_ kinda regret that now. Even though he's an amnesiac wisp of a probably-teenager he's also one of the smartest people I know. Maybe he would have seen something I'd missed.

"What'd you mean by that, Shoutaro?" Akiko asks. Shit, I gotta break this habit of speaking out loud to myself. I cough.

"Well, y'know… something just felt off about the whole thing. I can't put my finger on why, though."

Akiko nods thoughtfully. "Yeah, I know how you feel. Did you see how the family was acting? I bet the dad wasn't the only person who was mistreating Arisa-san."

"That's… true." I frown. "But it's not what I'm thinking of. I don't think she did it at all."

"You should have taken some pictures for me," Philip says. "Actually, I'd have liked to see the murder weapon, too. I'll come with you next time you get a pet finding case."

"I'd really rather our next lost pet case not end up—"

Akiko stands up, eyes wide. "WAIT. SHOUTARO, WE FORGOT ABOUT YUKI-CHAN."

" Yuki-ch— AAA, WE'RE STILL SUPPOSED TO LOOK FOR THE CAT!"

"C'mon let's go let's go! Where's my other boot?"

"I'm going too. You can at least show me the house where the murder took place."

"That's not— hold on, you two, at least let me put my coat on—"

* * *

The next day, I'd almost forgotten the entire thing. We'd finally found that damned cat, and I was completely preoccupied typing up a report for a job well done when Terui walked in. "Are you guys busy?"

I want to say yes, but we honestly both know the truth here. "No."

He used to hang around in his free time to scoff at us and make better coffee than me, but I like to think that our relationship has gotten a bit better than that. Nowadays, if Terui walks into the office in the middle of the day— "You've got a job for us, right?"

"Maybe," he says. "You remember the Osugi case?"

Philip perks up immediately. "The murder of former manufacturing conglomerate CEO Osugi Ainosuke by his slighted daughter-in-law Osugi Arisa nee Namekawa that Shoutaro didn't bring me too."

Okay, that's hardly my fault though!

"Yeah," Terui says, a little uncomfortably. "About that."

I frown. "She confessed to the crime, didn't she? It should be a cut and dry case."

"She did. And it should be as simple as that, because we're overworked as it is, but a _mutual friend of ours_ brought some things to my attention."

I blink. A mutual friend? Our information networks are completely different. Wait, he couldn't mean Kirihiko, could he?

Terui makes eye contact with me. "He told me that Osugi was a former major shareholder for Digal Corporation, and that he had a quiet personal falling out with them this past year. The Sonozaki family may have deliberately kept it out of the news too, because I sure don't remember hearing about this."

Oh, you've got to be kidding.

I take a sharp breath. "You don't think… the Sonozakis…?"

"Threatened the girl into taking the fall for the real murderer? Unlikely, but the possibility is there." he says grimly.

Philip frowns. "This isn't their style. Excessively sloppy for an execution."

"But there is _definitely_ something suspicious about this whole thing," I say. I think back to Arisa's reveal and something snaps into place. "The Osugi family members weren’t shocked at all when she said that she'd killed him, compared to the staff. Like they all already knew she was going to confess. Call it a detective's intuition, but I think that Arisa didn't kill her father-in-law. One of the Osugis did."

"See, this is why I want you guys to investigate." Terui says. " There's too many damn questions in the air, and if there's the slightest chance that the fucking Sonozakis are involved…" He looks over at me. We both know that this isn't a question of chance anymore. Not with the Sonozakis.

Our discussion right now would come as such a surprise to almost any regular citizen of Fuuto. To your regular joe on the street, the Sonozaki patriarch and his two daughters are the darlings of the city. Not many people know that they also completely dominate this city's underworld. They've screwed with quite a few people I care about. Akiko's father— and my mentor— Narumi Sokichi was killed in an investigation into their affairs. I picked up Philip during that ill-fated trip too, and the odds are good he's got some kind of connection to them as well. Terui's family had died to one of their hired guns. And just a few months or so ago, Kirihiko…

Even though he'd married the elder daughter, Sonozaki Saeko, he hadn't known anything about their real plans. Just a pawn, to them. And then he'd helped me solve a case that threw a huge wrench in their plans. They wouldn't have let him get away with that. "Please take care of this city," he'd said, and I'd almost let him go. And if I had, then— It's not worth thinking about.

The good thing is that Kirihiko's still alive. It was close, though. I don't think we could have pulled off the desperate, foolhardy plan I'd cobbled together if Terui hadn't helped, and Terui almost didn't help. This was back when he’d just come to Fuuto, you know. You can't possibly understand through words alone how much he despised (and still despises) the Sonozakis. If Kirihiko hadn't been able to convince him he was more use alive than dead…

Well, he's alive, now. The only one of us who knows exactly where he is is Terui, though, because —in his words— we're a "bunch of loose-lipped soft-hearted fools who couldn't keep a secret to save a life." Which is rude! And also untrue!

"—you'll have maybe a week until her trial, if you take this case." Terui finishes talking. "You in?"

"Yeah," I say. "We'll find out the truth behind this case. And if it turns out that it's the Sonozakis behind it..."

I won't let them have their way in my city.

* * *

Even though Terui said this wasn't an official investigation, he must have been throwing his weight around at the office. How else would he have gotten us access to both the evidence taken for the case and the Osugi family so painlessly? I sure hope he didn’t take it without asking.

…Not that it's unwelcome. We've only got a week to investigate until the trial. That sounds like a ridiculously fast processing time to me, but I'm not a cop, so what do I know? Maybe it's just because the girl already confessed.

Or maybe someone's got something to hide.

Akiko and I split up the Osugi household interviews. She'd take care of all the staff, and I'd take the family members. Philip's happily knee deep in the evidence back at the agency. Terui's… doing something, I guess. Work, maybe? Is he slacking off somewhere? …Okay, no, I can't see that happening. Maybe he's grilling Kirihiko again for anything he can remember about the dead Osugi. That'd be a big help.

The first people I interview are Osugi Mamoru and Sonoko. "Sorry to call you out here so soon after the incident. We just need to confirm some information with you, since last night was so hectic." I lie smoothly.

Sonoko-san closes her eyes, and her husband wraps a comforting arm around her shoulders. "As long as it's quick, Detective. None of us want to dwell on what happened."

I'd really prefer if they did dwell on it, actually. If we're going to prove Arisa's innocence, we're going to need as much evidence as we can get. But that's not something I can really say, so I just get straight to the point.

"What was the exact sequence of events that night?"

"My wife and I were in the backyard after dinner," Mamoru-san explains. "We heard a commotion inside and found everyone crowded around the stairs, so we went to join them. Ryuusuke was blocking the way up, and when we got to Father's room… we were the last of the family up there. I covered Sonoko's eyes, so she didn't see exactly what was in the room though— didn't I, dear?"

"What exactly did _you_ see in that room, then?" I press, before Sonoko-san can say anything

Mamoru-san shifts, uncomfortably. “Arisa was standing over the body, crying."

"I just don't understand!" Sonoko-san blurts out. "Surely she could have gone to someone for help— he's just picky about the food, isn't he? Maybe Father wasn't particularly nice to her, but isn't that just how he treats everyone? I've been upset with him before! So has my husband! Yet surely, neither of us have ever considered murder as a solution."

"Sonoko, that's—"

Sonoko-san brushes her husband's hand off her shoulder. "I'll not mince words with you, Mr. Detective. Anyone who could take a human life, even if they didn't plan to, is dangerous. I hope Arisa never gets out of jail. I hope she dies in there!"

* * *

"We all hated the old man." Osugi Ryuusuke says as he stabs a huge strawberry parfait with a spoon. "Fuckin' hidebound old cheapskate who couldn't stand not being able to control everything around him. You know what? I think Arisa did good. He had it coming."

Okay, I definitely spoke too soon. "He's your father, though—"

"So??" He slams a fist onto the table. "Just because I'm related to him doesn’t mean I can’t think that he's a piece of shit! You know why he was giving Arisa a hard time these past six years? Her family isn't rich and she doesn't know who her dad is. That's _it._ Never mind that she's a hell of a smart cookie in her own right, y'know? All he cares about is what kinda money people come from!"

"Well," I say, after a bit of silence. "You didn't help her either."

It's just a guess of mine, but from the way that Ryuusuke winces and looks away, I've hit upon something sensitive. "…Fuck, man. I'm just a shit for brains spare son who can't keep a job to save my life. But he still treated me better than that girl, because I'm his blood or something like that. Something's just not right about that, I know. But I just didn't have the balls to get into an argument over it."

He falls into a sullen silence, focusing more on his parfait than on me.

"When you first entered the room, what did you see?" I try to draw his attention back to the main topic.

He scratches his head sheepishly with the back end of the spoon. "Well, I didn't actually get a real good look at it. Arisa was standing over the body, crying, and then Naomi told me to get out of the room and make sure the staff didn’t see anything weird."

He finishes his parfait and slaps down some money on the table. As he stands up, he leans in close to me and says, in a low voice. "Lemme tell ya, though. If I were even a tenth as brave as Arisa, I woulda ganked the old man myself that day instead of vegetating in front of the TV until I heard a scream. I hope her revenge was worth it."

* * *

"Ryuusuke's a fool, but at least he knows it." Matsuoka Naomi says, coolly. "Father's only redeeming feature was the importance he placed on family, and it's the only reason I can think of that he tolerated an unemployed slob like Ryuusuke hanging around all the time. If I'm going to be honest, though, Father was just an enormous control freak. As soon as I got married to a husband that he didn't quite approve of, that old miser removed me from the will!"

"And _that's_ why you got a divorce?"

I must have failed to keep the incredulousness I feel out of my voice, because she looks over at me and smirks. "My husband and I worked out a plan. As soon as I get my share of the inheritance, I'd remarry him. Granted, we thought that our separation would be a manner of years, and not months…"

Rich people, I decide, are insane. Just how much money did she expect to get out of the will??? Wait, also— doesn’t she realize how suspicious she's making herself sound? Out of all the people I've interviewed so far, she's got the strongest motive by far. And on top of that—

"You were the first person on the scene of the crime, right?" Her scream was apparently the one that had alerted everyone else that something had gone wrong. "Why were you there?"

She sniffs. "I just happened to glance inside the room for no reason, and I saw my father dead, with Arisa standing over his body, crying. In that kind of situation, what kind of person wouldn't scream?"

"You don't seem the type, though." I try to flatter her. Maybe she'll let something slip.

"Yeah, well," she looks away, out the window. "Arisa doesn't seem the type to snap and murder someone either. Look where we are now."

* * *

One thing's clear to me: It would be impossible for this to be the work of some opportunistic criminal. No burglar in their right mind would have taken the risk, in a crowded house like that. On the other hand, I'm extremely doubtful that this is the work of some hired assassin. He's an old man who needs help getting out of bed in the morning on bad days, they could have easily made it look like a complete accident. No need to get the police involved at all.

No, I'm convinced that it was one of his family members that murdered him. And for Arisa's sake, we'll find out who the real killer is.

I open the file that Terui had handed me this morning. I haven't had a chance to look at it yet. It's full of picture photocopies. It's only been a day or so since the murder happened, but the police had already given the family permission to start cleaning up. The suspect's already confessed, after all, and the food's going to stain the floor like that.

These crime scene pictures are the first and only time I'll be able to see the room where Osugi died. But we know— or at least, _I_ know— that Arisa's not the murderer, so there has to be something here, right?

The victim's room is small, but quietly fancy. There's a bed in the back, next to the closet. The victim, dressed in pajamas, is slumped over a small table closer to the entrance. There's a window right behind him with heavy curtains, the thick velvety looking kind that's tied back with a cord. The family claimed that this is where he regularly takes his meals. His joints have gone bad with age, so he no longer goes downstairs to eat with the family.

Closeups on the body show an evenly patterned mark going all the way around the neck, from being strangled with a silk tie twisted into a rope. There's food scattered on the floor from when he'd thrown it at the defendant, too. From both Arisa’s confession and Sonoko-san's testimony, I think it's likely that it had probably been barely touched. The cutlery is scattered all over the floor— all the plates and nice cloth napkins, and a wine glass with a few drops of red wine still in it as well. He must have practically upended the entire table at the poor girl.

"Are you the detective who called me here?" I snap the file shut and look up. A young, stressed looking businessman is standing at my table. This one must be the last interviewee of the day—Arisa's husband.

"Osugi… Tetsuji?" He nods— hell yes I got it right, I'm amazing. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. Please, have a seat."

I get right to business. I've been here for _hours_. "Where were you when you heard the scream last night?"

"Well," he starts. "I didn't. Hear the scream, I mean. I was away at an important business dinner on the other side of town that night, so I didn't actually get home until just before the police did. Maybe… five or ten minutes before?"

"A business dinner?" I blink in surprise.

"I'm the only one of the family that actually works at Osugi Manufacturing," he explains. "So my father expects me to attend these sort of meetings and report back to him. Even though he's retired in name, everyone knows that he has the final word on all major decisions."

I hum. Interesting. "When you got home, what did you see?"

Tetsuji-san shifts uncomfortably. "I went upstairs to my father's room and saw Arisa standing over his dead body, crying. I… honestly, I can't believe this is happening. It's my fault that she did this," he continues. "If only I'd been able to convince Father to accept a live-in nurse or something… we'll get her the best lawyer possible, of course. But it won't change the fact that she's going to _jail_."

He sounds honestly broken up about it. Should I tell him that there's a possibility that she wasn't the murderer?

In the end, I stay silent. After all, how do you tell a man that you suspect that one of his siblings or in-laws killed your father?

* * *

When I get back to the agency, it's already dark. I open the door to the basement. Looks like Terui and Philip are having an argument. Or rather, they're playing some bizarre version of keepaway with what looks like one of the evidence bags that I'd brought over.

… You know, maybe I should have taken Philip with me to the interviews.

"—just contaminate evidence like that, at least wear some gloves—"

"You didn't give me any. Where would I get gloves?"

"I don't know, maybe you could _ask—_ "

I cut in before Terui can really blow his top. "Yo. Philip, did you find something?"

He immediately turns away from Terui. "Shoutaro, welcome back. I think I did, but he won't give me the evidence so I can check."

"You having any of the evidence in the first place is illegal! Don't touch it with your bare hands, there's a limit to what I can get away with!"

I blink. "Clue? What clue?"

"The red wine." Philip says.

The wine…? There hadn't been any wine at the scene, right? At least, the wineglass had been emptied— wait a second.

"Why hadn't there been any wine stains on the crime scene or on Arisa's clothes? From testimony, we know that he hadn't eaten much of the food before tossing it aside. And—" he yanks the evidence bag out of Terui's hand while he's distracted— "Shoutaro. Smell this."

"Put on some _gloves_ , you little—"

As soon as Philip opens the bag, the air is filled with the smell of alcohol. Terui wrinkles his nose, and I recoil. What the hell? "Isn't that the murder weapon? Who dunked this thing into an open bottle of wine, jeez."

"There was no wine on the crime scene. And Arisa's shirt was only stained with food." Philip says. "So why does this tie smell like alcohol?"

Terui rubs his nose with the back of his hand.  "I see. Basically, this proves that the scene was tampered with. At worst, what we saw wasn't the crime scene at all."

"There's more," Philip says. "I don't think that he was strangled to death with a tie at all."

"Wait, _what??_ " Akiko pipes up. "That's not the murder weapon?"

Philip walks over to the table where he's got the crime scene photos spread out. "Look at this ligature mark around his neck," he points out a picture of the corpse. "It's faint, but there's a pattern to it. I believe it's too regular to be a tie twisted into an improvised garrote."

"Huh," Akiko says. "Hold on, we can check that right now."

She looks in my direction and I'm suddenly aware that I'm the only person in this room with an actual tie. I cover my neck with both hands and back away.

"Oi," I object.

Philip hums thoughtfully. "The quality of material could make a difference, though. Shoutaro's ties are likely significantly cheaper, and made of thinner material."

" _Oi,_ " I object.

Terui shakes his head. "There's no need to check. I've seen strangulation cases before, and Philip's right. There's something strange about it, though I can't put my finger on exactly what..."

"Was an alternative murder weapon found on the scene?" I ask.

Akiko drags the box of evidence over and starts pawing through it. "Mmmmm… hey, there's nothing else in here that could be the murder weapon. Wait. If we don't have it here, then d'you think the real murderer's already gotten rid of it?"

"Or maybe it's still at the scene of the crime," I counter. "I'll go tomorrow and check it out. What else do we have?"

Akiko raises a hand in the air, nearly upending all the evidence, and waves impatiently. "Oh! Me! That reminds me! I found something interesting!"

She digs out a notebook from a pocket and flips through it rapidly. "Uhh… let's see. Here! Okay, so none of the staff had anything interesting to say. They were all either in the kitchen, the laundry room, when they heard a lady scream, but when they tried to get upstairs one of the Osugis was blocking the way."

That sounds like it fits in with what I found. Akiko continues. "But then! I tracked down Arisa's mom to see if she could tell me about her daughter. Here's the actually interesting part. Apparently, Arisa was talking about a divorce."

"Good for her," I immediately say. And I mean it.

Akiko, however, shakes her head. "No, there's more! Namekawa-san was almost positive that she didn't start talking about it until after she was pregnant."

"Arisa was waiting for the baby to be born, in order to divorce Osuji Testuji but still get alimony." Terui immediately makes a connection.

I scowl. "Oi, Terui, that's going too far. She's a victim, damn it."

Terui looks like he still wants to argue, but I'm not going to listen to him cast doubts on her like this. "It's obvious that she didn't kill the old man. The crime scene we saw had definitely been tampered with, and maybe someone found out about her child and threatened their life unless she confessed."

Philip looks at me. "Shoutaro, did you find anything?"

Ugh. I flop into an armchair and cover my face with one arm. "Don't even _remind_ me. Osugi's kids all seem to care way more about his fortune than about him. Everyone knew he was mistreating Arisa, but they either thought she should have just stayed silent about it or they were too afraid of jeopardizing their own relationship with the old man to help. And whoever the actual murder is, I'm pretty sure that they're all covering for them. They're all at _least_ accomplices."

"What?" Akiko squawks. "I didn't hear about this!"

"The way that every single family member described the scene was the same. 'Arisa was standing over the dead body, crying.' The exact same words."

"…So?" Terui asks.

"I interviewed five people and they all used the exact same phrase to describe Arisa. Don't you think that's strange…. at… all…" I trail off.

Wait.

_Wait._

Oh my god, I'm so stupid. If I'm right, then—

"Akiko…" I say. "Akiko. Hey, Akiko. Was anyone from the family that night wearing a tie?"

She blinks at me. "No, none of them."

"How about the staff?"

"Nope. Not part of the uniform. Why?"

Philip leans forwards, eyes sparkling. "Shoutaro, you know who the real killer is."

It's not a question. He knows me well enough to be able to see when I'm onto something.

"Yeah," I say. "I think I do."

"Evidence?" Terui asks, eyes narrowed.

I shake my head. "Nothing that we can use in court. But that's not our only option, right?”

"You mean to scare a confession out of the true criminal, then."

I stand up and walk to the table, shoving crime scene photos aside. "Right. Here's a plan…"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) I made Akiko a detective in her own right because now that nobody's a rider there's like nothing stopping her from being n equal standing with Shoutaro or Philip.  
> 2) Kirihiko's alive.... because I want him to be! That's about all the justification you're getting from me.  
> 3) At this point, this case is theoretically solvable, if I've balanced out all the clues correctly. There's hints at what the motive and murder weapon might be as well. Can you guess what they are?


	2. Family Ties

It's early the next morning when we arrive at the Osugi estate, and my nerves are singing with tension.

Who came up with this idea? This is the worst. I'm going to die.

"Is it too late to back out?" I mutter to myself as Terui rings the doorbell. Akiko steps on my foot.

The door opens. It's Osugi Ryuusuke.

He scratches behind one ear sleepily. "Oh. 'Sup, Detective Hidari. And, uh, whoever your friends are too. I thought we were all done with the interviews and stuff? Did you need something else—"

Ryu flips open his police ID and after a heartbeat, Ryuusuke finally recognizes him. Is it just me or did he break into a sweat? "Oh! Okay, uh, hi, didn't recognize you in the like, morning though I guess I fuckin shoulda, with that jacket n'shit, Detective— Terui? Yeah? Hahaha, man."

Terui firmly ignores his nervous babbling. "Is everyone home?"

"Shit, yeah. It's the weekend."

Philip pushes his way into the house, under Ryuusuke's arm. "That's convenient for us. Please call your remaining family members to the scene of the crime, then."

"Woah— hey, you can't just—"

Akiko slips in, too. "Sorry about the intrusion!" she says in a voice that's not sorry at all.

In the end, there's absolutely nothing that Ryuusuke can do to stop us, and in short order, nine people are arrayed inside Osugi Ainosuke's bedroom. It's a bit of a tight squeeze, so Akiko and Ryu are standing in the hallway just outside the door. It's fine. They already know what I'm going to say, anyways.

I look around at the confused and sleepy and kind of hostile Osugi family members and take a deep breath. "It's a little dark in here, isn't it? Philip, could you open the curtains?"

"Of course." Before anyone can protest, he hops over to the window and whips the curtains open. The room instantly brightens, painfully.

"Hey, watch it!" Naomi-san complains, covering her eyes with one hand. "It's like eight in the morning, okay?"

"Sorry!" I say. "Just take a minute to adjust. We're in no hurry."

I look over at Philip, still standing by the curtain. He gives me an almost imperceptible nod.

* * *

"So, Detective… what's all this about?" Mamoru-san tentatively breaches the subject first. "Isn't everything settled?"

"Actually," I begin. "We've come up with some unexpected information."

Someone— not sure who— murmurs in surprise. Mamoru-san's eyes widen.

"After some tests," —if you count 'we gave all the evidence to Philip to look at' a test— "we were able to determine that the murder weapon in this case could not have been the necktie."

"Rather," Philip cuts in, "I suspect that this curtain cord was used."

" _ Excuse _ me?" I'm not sure who exactly speaks up first because everyone else starts speaking up all at once ass well.

"Of course," Philip continues like he doesn't hear the commotion at all, "Several people's DNA would obviously be on this rope anyways. The victim or Arisa or possibly even all the maids, if they're allowed in here. So it's almost worthless as evidence! It was very clever of Arisa-san to choose this as a murder weapon, really."

"It wasn't a premeditated murder!" Tetsuji-san is quick to leap to his wife's defense.

"Right. But this brings to mind another question," I continue. "Why did Arisa lie about the murder weapon? Now, that's not an easy question to answer, so let's start with a simpler one. Where did the wine soaked tie come from?"

"Isn't it Dad's tie?" Ryuusuke asks. "Like, maybe Arisa spilled some wine on him and that’s why he got mad at her?"

"Arisa's got some pretty good aim, then." I raise an eyebrow. "She spilled wine on only his tie and somehow not on any of his clothes?" He flushes angrily.

"He didn't have to be wearing it," Sonoko defends him. "Father's got a large collection of ties in his closet. That woman could have just taken one of those."

"You can't mean the closet all the way at the other end of the room, which was in full view of the victim the entire time? No, The simplest solution is often the truth." Philip bluntly shuts her down. "Both the murder weapon and the tie were close at hand for the murderer. The murder weapon— the curtain cord— is easily explained. But Osugi-san had not been wearing a tie that day. Therefore, the answer is obvious."

"The murderer was a person who was wearing a tie that night." I finish.

Silence.

Naomi breaks it with high pitched laughter. "Don't be foolish. None of us were wearing ties."

I smile. Gotcha.

"That's true. But when I think about it, isn't that strange?" I say. "After all, shouldn't at least one of you have been wearing a tie?"

I face the culprit head on. "Didn't you tell me that you'd come back from a formal business dinner, Testuji-san? Why weren't you wearing a tie?"

"I took it off after the dinner was over and I was back home, of course."

"You took the time to change back home. Where there was a huge commotion happening on the stairs and the police had been called."

"This is nonsense," he says. "Are you calling me a liar just because I changed my clothes?"

"No," I say. "I'm calling you a liar, because there's no way that you arrived just five minutes before the police did. Akiko and I were in front of your neighbor's house for at least twenty minutes before that."

"The fake murder weapon was your tie. Your alibi was a lie." Philip summarizes. "Unless, of course, you have something to say for yourself?"

Tetsuji-san opens and closes his mouth like a fish. The room is dead silent.

"It was her idea!" Sonoko-san blurts out. "That girl said—"

"Sonoko!" Her husband yells at her, but it's too late.

We've got them.

Before anyone can think of moving, Terui appears in the doorway, leaning casually in a way that coincidentally blocks the best way out of the room.

"So," He says. "Why don't we all sit down and go over the events on the night of the murder one. Last. Time."

* * *

**TWO WEEKS LATER**

Arisa sits down at a park bench near her mother's apartment and breathes a sigh of relief for the first time in weeks.

…No. She thinks back to her three years of marriage to Osugi Tetsuji. It's been much longer than that since she's been able to relax. Bastard. Him and his entire family can all rot in jail for all she cares.

But all of that is over now. Her hard work has been rewarded at last. Starting today, she can finally let herself think that her future has been secured—

"Is this seat taken?"

Arisa looks up. It's some man she doesn’t recognize. Well dressed, with a polished smile. Her heartrate spikes.

"You don't need to be alarmed," he says, which alarms her greatly. "I'm a… friend of Detective Hidari, of the Narumi Detective Agency. I just wanted to see how you were doing after all of the fuss died down."

Arisa thinks back. the Narumi Detective Agency? Ah… she faintly remembers the name. When she was going through the procedures for her release from holding, her mother had mentioned someone like that. They'd help the police solve the murder, didn't they? In that case— She smiles at the man, tentatively. "Well… yes, I'm doing fine. You can tell the detective thanks for the concern."

"The baby's growing up strong, I presume?"

"Yes," Arisa says, pressing one hand to her stomach. "Even though his father is in prison, I'm going to take the utmost care to raise him well."

"That's to be expected," the stranger says, calmly. "After all, he's your ticket to the Osugi fortune."

A jolt runs down Arisa's spine. What?

"Your marriage to Tetsuji— well, I won't speculate over whether you loved him or not. That'd be hypocritical for the likes of me. But you did have an eye on his position as potential heir, right?" He smiles at the face she's making. "Don't pretend to be so shocked. Osugi was a traditionalist who believed in the importance of blood. So it's no leap to figure out that he only ever planned to leave his fortune to his direct descendants. In fact, didn't one of your in-laws get a divorce just to avoid getting written out? You must have been terrified when you'd discovered that your husband murdered his own father in a fit of rage. Not only would your own legal status as recipient of the estate be in jeopardy, but you'd be branded a murderer's wife. Ostracized for your husband's crime."

"What, and being accused of murder myself is any better?" Arisa finds her tongue again and challenges the stranger. He can't prove anything that he's saying right now, she tells herself. But she never expected anyone to pursue this line of thought at all.

The stranger shakes his head. "We both know that's not how the story is being told right now. 'Mistreated Wife Forced To Cover Up Husband's Misdeeds!' I even heard the Healing Princess mention it on her radio show. I have to admit, it makes for a great human interest piece. You're very talented, to be able to come up with a plan on the fly like this." He points at her. "The murder weapon… you substituted the real one for the wine soaked one your husband was wearing. Ostensibly to cover up the crime. And yet…the smell of wine on that tie is rather strong, isn't it? It doesn't take a genius to put together the fact that something isn't right— I'm sure that at least Detective Terui would have noticed, even by himself."

"I was panicking," Arisa defends herself. "It was close by— I don't have to justify my actions to you—"

"Ah ah ah! Neither of us can really prove intent, now. But just think about the  _ effect _ of your actions. Now every single Osugi heir is living in disgrace… except, of course, for your unborn child. Who, despite everything your husband— soon to be former husband too, I gather— has Tetsuji blood in him. The only potential heir left."

"…What do you want from me?" Arisa asks.

"Nothing!" He lies. "Just… a word of advice. Sonozaki Saeko contacted you in jail, didn't she?"

Arisa blinks. "How did you…?"

"Well, at least this time my suspicions proved correct. She  _ is _ good at doing business, you know, and it's easy enough to see her hand in the media coverage around your release." The stranger says, almost fondly. "But as a matter of fact, I'm not that shabby myself. Let's see… did she offer to support you teach you the ropes of managing such a large company behind the scenes? Osugi Mechanical isn't large enough for her to risk heavy investment, unless she wants your support for the Gaia Impact project…"

He casually glances over at Arisa's face as he speaks, but Arisa breathes a sigh of relief. Gaia Impact project? She's never heard of such a thing.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she says, confidence restored. Sonozaki Saeko had offered her assistance from one woman to another, sure. But she'd never so much as mentioned anything about a so-called Gaia Impact project. Whoever this stranger is, they don't have any evidence for their claims. "Now, if you'll excuse me…"

"Of course." He agrees easily. "I hope both you and your child live long lives."

Arisa hurries away. What a weirdo.

* * *

"Oh my god, you dumb asshole, there you are." A voice comes from behind Kirihiko. He already knows who it is without looking, and he smiles.

"Terui. I'm touched at your concern."

Terui growls as shoves a misshapen, wide brimmed hat onto Kirihiko's head. "Trust me, my only concern is that the Sonozakis will find out about you, which they  _ will _ if you keep popping up in public  _ asking people pointed questions about crime! _ "

"I just wanted to confirm a few things." Kirihiko looks in the direction that Arisa had walked off in. "And give a word of warning."

"She's a woman who's capable of getting every single one of her in-laws arrested in order to get her hands on a fortune! I can't afford it if you underestimate someone for a stupid reason and jeopardize my search! All you have are  _ suspicions, _ Sudo, why the hell would you contact her like that?"

"…She won't say anything, I don't think." Kirihiko muses, quietly. He doesn't look in Teruis direction. "Strong willed, and patient. A bit vengeful too, though— I wonder if she ever did love her husband? She almost reminds me of my sister, you know."

Terui is silent for a second, and when he speaks up again, his voice has lost some of it's irritated edge. "Then help me catch the Sonozakis and stop whatever the hell Gaia Impact is. The faster we do that, the sooner you can stop with this farce. You'll definitely see her again, Sudo."

Kirihiko closes his eyes for a second, and breathes. He stands up briskly. "Of course. That was the agreement, after all. Shall we go?"

"You shouldn't have been here in the first place," Terui grumbles. "Pompous white collar criminal bastard."

Kirihiko smiles. "How harsh. Aren't we partners in the defense of this wonderful city, like Shoutaro and Philip?"

" _ For the last time, we're not partners— _ "

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sweats nervously  
> so. i didnt mean for this to take so long? But regardless, I hope you enjoyed! Yes, the twist in this fic is directly from the source material i mentioned last a/n. Tried to subtly hint at it in the preceding ch but heavens know how well that turned out- let me know in the comments? ;)  
> I have a few tentative ideas for other fic in this particular verse but literally dont count on anything I say oh god


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